Australian Privacy Foundation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Australian Privacy Foundation is a NGO formed for the purpose of protecting the privacy rights of Australians. It's aim is to focus public attention on emerging issues which pose a threat to the freedom and privacy of Australians, and also takes a leading role on issues of defending rights of individuals to control access to personal information and to be free of excessive intrusions.
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[edit] History
The organisation was initally formed on August 31, 1987 at the Sebel Town House, Kings Cross, Sydney for the sole purpose of coordinating public resistance against the Australia Card, first proposed as part of the 1985 Federal Budget. The media were attracted to the launch on account of support for the movement by a number of high profile persons including Peter Garrett, Alan Jones, Ben Lexcen, and Janine Haines.
After the group lead the charge in successfully defeating the Australia Card, it was clear to the group that an ongoing national voice for privacy protection was needed in Australia. During the remaing years of the 1980s, the Foundation's focus was to ensure that the Tax File Number (TFN) scheme did not become an ID Card in disguise, and to lobby both state and federal governments for the enactment of national privacy legislation. The first summit organised by the Foundation brought together officials from the Australian Taxation Office, politicians and privacy advocates together to examine the TFN proposals, and exposed many weaknesses in the proposals which the Government was subsequently forced to rectify.
[edit] Board
The organisation has a governing board, consisting of ten members of whom four are officers (Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Treasurer and a Secretary). Members are appointed for a period of one year, with all positions falling vacant at the next Annual General Meeting.
[edit] References
- The Loose Cannon: An overview of campaigns of opposition to National Identity Card proposals by Simon Davies, Director, Privacy International and Visiting Fellow, The London School of Economics (London, February 2004)
